Post by Admin on Sept 7, 2023 23:38:30 GMT -5
Historic Perpetrator – Worker Herbert Vitzthum
Herbert Vitzthum was a pioneering worker in Argentina in 1919
September 7, 2023
I write this only to put it on the record. I’m posting under my own name only to more legitimize this as it happened so long ago. I feel like we need to put all perpetrators on the record whether they are still alive or not. The more we know about each and all cases helps us grasp the extent of the problem(s) that still exist, and how far back these problems have gone.
This has to do with one of the quite early Workers, Herbert Vitzthum, who was head over the Spanish Speaking in the United States from mid 1930s until 1969. He was a good friend of our family as my grandparents, uncles, aunts, and parents were Spanish speaking. He stayed at all of our homes often. That was until my oldest sister finally complained to my parents that Herbert had cornered her in her bedroom, forced himself on top of her and (in her words) “wet all over himself”. I’m guessing that she was around 9 years old at the time.
He later tried to force himself on my twin sister, but she was able to push him away and run outside. She stayed outside and she remembers hiding under our lemon tree until our parents got home. Of course, none of this ever got reported as he was a very respected Elder Worker.
Before this happened, my grandmother attempted to report an incident that she witnessed. When staying at their home, she walked in on him in their living room. He had a neighbour kid on his lap and was fondling the kid’s genitals. When she brought this to the other workers, everyone thought my grandmother was crazy. Herbert vehemently denied it, and reprimanded her and said, “do you realize you are talking about a man of God?!” No one believed my grandmother until the later incidents happened.
I have an Aunt who was also molested by him, but she has only talked about it to certain, very few people.
I can guarantee that Herbert Vitzhum has left a large trail of more incidents with others that we don’t know about. This guy was a predator, and waited until he had children alone to do his thing.
WINGS Note: Andrew Otero requested that this be posted by WINGS so it is on record. His oldest sister (mentioned above) died in an auto accident a few years ago.